I Don't Like To Share
by Shade Penn
Summary: Sequel to His Human. Steel thought Sydney was his only competition. He was wrong. Steel/Max/Butch


**A/N: I'm going to make this a 'trilogy,' so expect the final installment to be longer.**

* * *

It was quite the predicament, Steel thought as he glanced at Max to make sure he was still asleep. Granted, he didn't _have_ to as their bond made it crystal clear if one of them was thinking, but it was like he couldn't stop staring at him. And having the chance to think things over was only possible when Max was asleep, although he did have to bear witness to the dreams he had. Some of them he could handle, as they were completely mundane, others though, brought up that unpleasant feeling.

He'd told Max to make him stop feeling 'jealous,' but the human had done the complete opposite now that he knew it made him angry to hear his thoughts of Sydney. Steel had gotten him back with his random facts and humming, but through the two way contest to see who could hold out the longest, something had changed in Max's dreams.

Steel had thought nothing of the fact Butch had appeared in the dreams at first, as Sydney was there and he was too busy glaring at her. He couldn't interact with the dreams, as they were Max's and he was too under for him to contact, otherwise it would be the only way to vent his frustrations. The fact Sydney was the in the dreams shouldn't have distracted him from what else was going on, as Butch hadn't been acting like himself.

It was a dream, _Max's_ dream; of course he wasn't going to. He had missed the way Butch and Max would stare at each other, the way when the two argued their hands would touch. He had only realized all of this when he saw in one dream Butch grab Max by the collar and push him against a wall; and for a moment, Steel thought the other boy was going to punch Max, but what actually happened had his optic glued to the scene.

Butch had leaned forward, and pressed his lips to Max's and raised a hand to run it through his hair. Steel had watched intently, that unpleasant feeling rising once again as he registered what they were doing. If Steel had teeth, he would have been gritting them; was Max's thoughts of Sydney a distraction from this, or had it been denial? No, the feelings were real; so Max just liked them both then?

Steel knew Max was fully aware of what he was dreaming, because this was _his_ subconscious, and when Steel finally managed to look away, he had to think on this, which led to his current moment of gazing down at a peacefully sleeping Max. He leaned forward as he raised an 'arm' and ran it through Max's hair like he'd seen Butch do in the dream, and he froze when Max sighed and turned over on his side.

Steel moved away from Max as his thoughts whirled in his processor; _why_ did Max like Butch? He wasn't the most _pleasant_ human around, or was that the reason? That he was human? Ever since their talk about how Steel felt about him, Max had tried to avoid the subject, to the point of painfully screening his thoughts whenever it seemed like he was about to think about it.

Steel would have winced if he was able, as he _had_ told Max to 'practice' for him. He just didn't think it'd be with Butch of all people, and in his dreams. It also made his earlier statement seem moot; it looked like Steel _wasn't_ the only person Max went to bed with. It left him hollow to know this, but it also brought out a fierce determination in him.

As he went to rest for his own recharge, Steel's last thought before he shut his optic off was of getting Max to forget the human; Steel didn't like sharing his human, and he wasn't about to let the competition win this.

* * *

He knew he should feel bad, but watching Butch brush Max off from engaging in an argument over Sydney, but he didn't. He just felt elated, knowing that dreams were one thing, and real life was quite another. _'Don't feel sad, you've still got me.'_ Steel thought.

_'I've _always_ got you.'_ Max retorted.

_'Exactly, that's why I said it.'_ Steel thought smugly.

_'Quit that, it's getting creepy.'_ Max thought and Steel narrowed his optic from Max's backpack. _'And why would you even say that?'_

_'Let's just say, you have a _very_ active imagination._' He replied and Max froze. _'I don't like sharing Max; not for Sydney, and definitely not for some bully.'_

_'Well it's not your choice, is it?'_ Max thought aggravated._ 'If you don't like what you see, then it's your own fault for watching.'_

Steel's optic narrowed further. _'I also don't like having to prolong the feeling of jealously. I see your point, you're mine after all; why should I be jealous, when I know you can't be with them anyway; _either of them.'

Max's mental voice was indignant as he thought rather rudely at him for the constant reminder. Steel was indifferent to it though, if he kept it up long enough, then maybe it would finally keep Max's thoughts from wandering. Sydney was bad enough, he wasn't going to lose Max to Butch either.


End file.
